Shattered
by kirakirakatsu
Summary: When X an Speed come home from a late night party, they find their house in shambles and their parents gone. With no one else to turn to, they go on a perilous journey to Chezco Labratories in Russia. Rated for the usual things. Angst warning.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**** In case you didn't happen to see which genres this story was categorized under, then I will warn you again:**

**This is an anguished and tortured tale that is **_**NOT**_** for the faint of heart.**

**Yes, I realize that Speed Racer: The Next Generation is a children's show, but this sorrowful, (as the Fanfiction-lingo-savvy would say) "Plot Bunny" has been waiting patiently within the far reaches of my mind for quite some time now. I believe that it meandered its way into the recesses of my (demented, some would say) mind shortly after I posted **_**Worst Fear**_**. But, I was too young a writer to take on this task (especially when trying to keep it at a "K" or "K+" rated level, as I so often did back in the day... A more detailed version of this story could easily be rated "M", as I am VERY paranoid about ratings...) Actually, X's 'Hope' speech from **_**Hope and Suffering**_** was originally a part of this story. Only in the present moment, after joining this online writing community in August of 2009, am I able to understand the art of Fanfiction well enough to make my feeble attempt at this story idea known.**

**Also, although this story takes place in the summer directly after Secrets of the Engine, this story in no way related to **_**How to Save a Life**_**. This story simply doesn't go well with any others... although Worst Fear will be referenced many times...**

**I feel like I am a female combination of the two Racer brothers: Speed compensating for my back-story and X compensating for my status as an overprotective older sibling. However, unlike my other Fanfictions, this story in its entirety is neither in X's point of view nor Speed's point of view. **_**Shattered**_** is written completely in third person. For this story, I find that I need to be in many places at once, something I cannot do while constricted to the mind of one character, no matter how far away from my comfort zone I must stray to do so.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Speed Racer: The Next Generation.  
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"Mrngh..." Speed grumbled as morning sunlight seeped into his closed eyes. He lazily opened one sapphire eye to survey his surroundings. The teenager was lying down on the floor of a living room that was not his. Forgetting the events of the night before, adrenaline coursed through Speed's veins as he stood up, now wide awake.

_Where am I?_ The younger of the two Racer brothers wondered, taking in his surroundings as he scratched the back of his head absently. Scattered about the floor of the living room were several teenagers, some on chairs, one on the couch, and most resting on the floor. Among those on the floor was X. _Oh, yeah, the party..._ Speed pieced together most of last night.

X and Speed had gone to a party (the first since summer had started) hosted by Tyler, a somewhat popular boy that attended Racing Academy, telling their parents that they had nothing to worry about. Alcohol? Tyler is a goodie-goodie, he would never serve alcohol. When would they be back? It was a slumber party. A _slumber party_? Yes, teenage boys still held slumber parties.

It had taken much convincing on both Speed and X's parts to convince their parents to let them go (seeing as what happened the last time they went to a party, the Racers weren't too keen on having their children coming home with hangover) but Speed Senior and Trixie both consented. Under one condition: take only one car. Why only one? Because the parents trusted their children to not let the other drive drunk. And they would know if Speed and X had consumed alcohol.

Therefore, Speed and X tried not to get drunk. Just one jell-o shot.

Or two.

Or three.

Speed put his hand to his mouth and exhaled. He brought his hand to his nose and sniffed. No vomit; not even the stench of alcohol could be detected. This meant that he wasn't in hangover, and he would have a better chance of avoiding his father's keen perception (Speed Senior could tell if a stranger had been drunk the week before). However, Speed knew that X didn't have as much... _control_... over his alcohol consumption as Speed did.

"X." Speed said, poking his older brother's shoulder. "X, wake up. We need to get home." He was answered only with a grunt and a pillow to the face. "X, we need to brush our teeth, take a shower, and hide our clothes to try and get this beer smell off." X opened his emerald eyes and sat up groggily.

"One: the jell-o shots had _vodka_ in them, not beer. Get it right. Two: you couldn't have waited ten more minutes?" X said, clearly having had more alcohol than his younger brother the night before.

"Not unless you want to take the bus home. We're driving _my car_ back to the house, remember?"

"Ugh. Fine." X said, massaging his temples. "How many jell-o shots did you have last night?"

"Three... I think... but I don't have the smell in my breath."

"Then you drive. Mom and dad will know something's up if they see me drive like this." X said, standing up.

"What do you mean? You're not nearly as drunk as you were last time. Even now, I wouldn't even classify you as _buzzed_." Speed said as the two exited the house, being careful not to awaken their friends from their drunken slumber. Once outside, the sun warming their bodies, the brothers spotted the Mach 6 across the street. They innocently entered the car, Speed in the driver's seat, X taking shotgun, and drove out of the suburban neighborhood. The morning sun was still low in the sky; the clock on the Mach 6's dashboard read seven thirty a.m. It took one hour to cross the rather large city, journeying from Misty Oaks in suburbia all the way to their isolated desert home, caressed lightly by pine trees and desert scrub. Speed and X didn't exchange words, each too exhausted from the night before, until Speed stopped the car in the driveway.

"What if they find out?" Speed asked.

"Then I guess it's no driving for a while..." X said indifferently. He had been in that kind of trouble before and, honestly, it was no big deal.

Perhaps it was the fact that Speed and X were tired, and buzzed, or perhaps it was that seeing something right in front of oneself is sometimes very hard to do. Perhaps, had the two brothers paused to take in their surroundings, they would've noticed a rather large crack in their living room window, or the fact that their front door looked... off. But _perhaps_ doesn't mean _definitely_.

The two brothers exited the car and walked up to their front door. Speed fished his house keys out of his pocket and slid them into the lock. The entire door crashed to the ground. For a split second, the Racer brothers counted themselves lucky that the door hadn't crushed them both. Then, they saw the destroyed remains of their home.

Papers were strewn everywhere. Chairs were upturned. In the kitchen, the sink was running. A cucumber lay on the countertop, only half sliced. The knife was sticking out of the vegetable, looking like a murder weapon. Bullet holes lined the walls, along with a few smears of blood. In the corner of the living room was an open flame, threatening to spread with each passing moment. Without a word, X sprinted to the hall closet and grabbed a fire extinguisher. Running back to the living room, X pulled the pin, releasing the white foam, choking the fire to a smoldering pile of ashes.

"X-X?" Speed stammered. "W-what's g-going on?" X didn't answer his brother. He only bent down to find a navy blue jacket with a single red stripe on it. On top of the stripe was a number five. The jacket had a large rip in the arm, and the rip was stained with blood.

"...Dad's jacket..." He murmured. Seeing the blood, Speed flew into a panic, running throughout the two-story house, searching desperately for his parents.

"MOM?! DAD!?" Speed yelled, over and over again, tears forming in his eyes. After a few moments, X joined his brother in calling his parents, clutching the jacket for dear life. Suddenly, something small and white fell from the jacket pocket. X and Speed stopped; it was a piece of paper. A letter, perhaps? Surely it would shed some light on the situation! Handing his brother the jacket, X picked up the note.

"...It's definitely in dad's handwriting..." He said, solemnly. "It says: _Spritle will help._" X looked at his brother to make sure he was all right. Speed was in shock, staring at the bloodied jacket in his trembling hands. X put a hand on Speed's shoulder. Speed looked up at his brother. "Maybe Spritle will have answers." X said. Speed nodded and followed his brother back to the Mach 6, but he let X drive this time. Speed held onto the jacket with white knuckles, urging himself not cry. Telling himself over and over that his parents were still alive. Deep down, X was doing the same thing, but on the surface, X was fully confident that once they got to Spritle's house, their uncle would tell them that everything's okay. That the worst didn't happen. That their parents had a little run-in with evil ninjas or something like that. Yeah.

Of course, it's hard to tell someone that when you're not there yourself.

When the Racer brothers arrived at their uncle's house, they found it in a similar state that they had found their own. It was only now did Speed speak.

"...Are mom and dad..." Speed gulped, refusing to meet his brother's gaze. "...Dead? ...Does this mean that they're... gone?"

"...I don't know..." X said. The two were silent for a moment, wondering what to do next. Where they would go. Who to turn to. Suddenly, Speed's car key started humming. Preset voice-activated controls had set off a state-of-the-art, high-tech DNA scanning device, checking that Speed and X were alone. Once that had been verified, electromagnetic fields were tapped into and sent the key towards what it was programmed in that specific scenario to do. Speed Senior had a Plan C.

Hope shone through Speed's eyes. Perhaps the key will lead him to answers, like it did so many times before. X was still wary. The humming key led Speed towards an old (now ripped to shreds) family portrait of his grandparents, parents, uncle, and Racer X. Speed removed the broken picture to find a safe that opened through a DNA scanner. The teenager placed his right hand on the electronic device and the safe opened to reveal a small electronic device. It was circular with a large red button surrounding a lens in the middle. The key stopped humming, and Speed reached in and grabbed the device, pressing the button.

Through the lens, a three-dimensional holographic projection of Speed and X's father appeared. He was younger: the video had been made years before.

"_Speed, X. If you're watching this, then everyone is gone, including me. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there for you. It must be so painful to have your whole world... ripped away from you..."_ A tear slid down Speed Senior's face. He took a deep breath. _"X, I'm not sure if you knew about... your brother... before I died or not, and Speed... I don't know if you know about your heritage yet... That's my fault... But you have to watch each other's back's now. X, I'm putting you in charge of Speed. I don't know how old you'll be when you find this... X, if you aren't eighteen, even if you're just about to turn eighteen in a few months, I want you and Speed to go find Wilson Sparkolemew. He should be under the name of Doctor Andre Chezco in Russia. If it's been over one year since anyone saw Dr. Chezco, then he's under the name of Professor Antonio Benovoli here in America. If, for some reason, your uncle Rex made himself known to the family before you found this, then go to him. Stay with either Wilson or Rex until X turns eighteen..." _Tears were streaming down the adult's face now. _"Speed... X... I love you both... so much... and I'm so sorry I left you... I'm so sorry I couldn't keep myself alive long enough for me to come back... I'm so sorry..."_ The hologram stopped, then went out.

By now, Speed had broken down fully. He was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest, still clutching his father's jacket, weeping. The full extent of what had happened sunk in the boy's mind, quickly ripping everything the teenager had come to know in the past year to shreds. X noticed the emotionally ragged condition that his brother was in, and sat down beside him. X first put an arm around Speed's shoulder, pulling his brother -the only piece of his family that he had left- closer.

"Speed, it'll be okay..." X murmured, he himself not knowing if that was true. "It'll be okay... it'll be okay... it'll be okay..." X repeated, clinging to his brother not just to comfort Speed, but to comfort himself as well. "It'll be okay... it'll be okay... it'll be okay..." X was crying softly now, something that he never did. It went against his nature.

Death changes people.

The two brothers sat, side by side, each crying, each comforting the other. They spent the night in the Mach 6, neither wanting to sleep in their uncle's house, for fear that painful memories would come to mind.

*****

Speed awoke to gunfire from a helicopter when the sun was just peeking out from under the horizon. X was still asleep, but Speed was already in the driver's seat -a lucky break- and was quickly working out a way to evade their unknown attackers. Speed knew that the bulletproof metal would not hold for long. He turned the key in the ignition and floored the gas pedal. Drifting on every turn, Speed made the car a fast-moving target. After executing a few maneuvers, he almost smiled.

Almost.

Speed then remembered his chameleon system, and turned it on. Instantly, the entire outside of the car became invisible. The helicopter fired a few more times, but admitted defeat. By this time, X had woken up.

"Mrngh... Speed?" X asked groggily.

"Hm?" Speed replied grimly, not wanting to speak.

"... Please tell me that yesterday was a dream..." X murmured, looking out the window at the vast desert landscape. A tear rolled down his face.

"...If it was... then we both had the same dream..." Speed said, his voice cracking, tears returning. "...Where are we going now?" Speed asked.

"... To Russia. Isn't Sparky still up there? ...You have a passport... right?" X replied.

"...Yeah... but how are we supposed to get there?" Speed asked.

"...I'll think of something... I'll get us there... don't worry..." X said. To himself -and only to himself- he admitted that he didn't know how to get himself and Speed to Russia. "...Maybe we should go back to the house... get some supplies..." X quietly suggested.

"...Yeah..." Speed consented, already on the way to his house. The drive only took about five minutes from Spritle's house.

When they arrived, seeing their house in shambles for the second time, hoping that their parents would come running out of the house to meet them... but knowing that they wouldn't, the two brothers cried. Walking to their rooms for what seemed like the last time, they cried. Gathering basic necessities (clothes, toiletries, non-perishable foods, etcetera), they cried. X retrieved his emergency credit card, grateful that he had saved up a rather large sum of money in his account instead of blowing off the money on material possessions. Knowing all too well what the people who had killed his parents could to, Speed secretly grabbed a large knife from the kitchen and hid it in his backpack. No sooner had he done this than X walked down the stairs.

"...We should leave a memento... something for this place to remember us by..." X didn't dare say 'give this place a proper funeral'. It was all too soon.

"... We should..." Speed replied. Suddenly, he had an idea. Walking into the garage, he found two paintbrushes and a bucket of red paint. Speed grabbed them all and walked into the living room, stopping at the wall with the bullet holes. X caught on immediately. Standing on top of chairs, the orphaned teenagers wrote above the bullet holes in blood-red paint, tears streaming down their faces as they did so.

_Family Safety Shelter _

_ Touch Home_

_Life Breath Security_

_ Hope Love_

Underneath the words, but still above the bullet holes, stood one question:

_Why destroy it?_

The teenagers stepped down from the chairs. They stared at their work for a few moments.

"... Why did they destroy it?" Speed spoke up... before emotionally breaking down once again. The two boys walked into the garage to say their last goodbyes. X stared at the Shooting Star –his beloved Shooting Star- contemplating whether or not he should take it.

"... Could we afford to take two cars to Russia?" X wondered aloud.

"... I don't see why we can't..." Speed said.

"...There's reasons why we should and there's reasons why we shouldn't..." X said, not wanting to prevent the trip to Russia by an extra car.

"X, take your car. I'll take mine... We'll... watch each others backs... just like on the track..." Speed said.

"...Yeah... just like on the track..."

And so the two set off on their journey... together, but in separate vehicles. They had made sure to bring their father's jacket with them. The teenagers made sure to always keep their comp systems on, unless suspicious activity arose. If an armed helicopter was spotted, then Speed would signal X by engaging his stealth mode. X would engage his own chameleon system once he received the signal. Only twice during the day did this happen, and once at night. They traveled on the back roads, taking up more time, but also avoiding danger. Because both the Mach 6 and the Shooting Star had gasless engines, gas stations were generally bypassed... unless someone needed to relieve themselves. They made it all the way from their hometown in Utah far into the untamed wilds of Idaho before the sun went down. The teenagers spent the night in a small forest. Speed pitched the tent. X lit a fire to warm themselves, while making sure that Speed had his fill of beef jerky before starting on his own dinner.

"........X?" Speed murmured after a long while.

"...Yes?"

"........ Can I....... Can I tell you something?" Speed asked. The question struck X.

"Speed, you can tell me anything."

".......When I was at the orphanage.... someone once told me that I didn't know what... real pain was like... he said that I never knew my parents... that I would never know the pain of having parents taken from you......" Speed took a deep yet ragged breath. ".....Now that I've known both....... X...... it's the same.... it's the same pain.... it's not greater, it's not weaker.... it's the same....." Speed said as he began to cry, pulling his knees to his chest in a desperate attempt to disappear. X's heart lurched. He pulled his brother into a hug.

".... Speed? That jerk had no idea what he was talking about...... The pain is the same... when it's by itself.... But... when you combine abandonment with death.... Speed, there's not a lot of scenarios that I can think of that are worse than that... To be broken... then fixed... only to be broken again... Speed..." X was now at a loss for words. "Speed... I think you need some rest..." Was all he could say. Speed nodded softly, and, using his backpack as a pillow, curled up in the tent to go to sleep, secretly taking the knife out of his backpack and hiding it under the folds of the tent.

It was only after Speed fell asleep, it was only after the fire died down, when X curled up into a ball next to his brother... and cried himself to sleep, mourning the loss of his broken family.

* * *

**Author's Note:**** And so there you have it. Reviews are much appreciated, as are flames. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**** ...Wow... Three reviews for the first chapter alone? That's never happened before... I mean.... just... wow.... I'm at a loss for words here.... I'm just.... flattered... this story got way better reception than I thought it would. Heck, this story got better reception than ****Hope and Suffering****, which got really good reception. Speaking of H&S, I promise that I'm actively working on chapter nine. I've come to a bit of writers block (hence the reason I'm writing new stories to allow the Chapter Nine of Hope and Suffering plot bunny room to speak, plus I have to tide you guys over with **_**something**_**! SR: TNG doesn't get too many new stories, and updates can be few and far between.)**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Speed Racer: The Next Generation. As for any and all injuries, I'm no expert. Heck, I'm not even an amateur, unless it's burns...**  
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Hard days made me;  
hard nights shaped me;  
I don't know they somehow saved me.

~Good Charlotte (_The Young and the Hopeless_)

X had fallen asleep long ago.

..._He was locked away in an insane asylum. He tried to move, but couldn't against the confines of his straightjacket. _

_Suddenly, a demon-like woman appeared in the room, carrying something. No, someone. It was a boy, about sixteen years old with brown hair and blue eyes. The boy looked... sad._

_The woman dropped the boy on the ground. He scrambled up to X as fast as he could to get away from the woman. She stayed in the shadows._

"_...Speed?" X asked. He received no answer from the boy, but somehow he knew that this was his brother. Suddenly, Speed reared up and attacked the woman. She disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Speed to fall and hit the ground. She reappeared a few feet away. The boy went insane, attacking the woman over and over again. Each time, she narrowly escaped. X didn't question why Speed wanted to destroy this woman so much. He knew that she had taken everything from them both._

_Suddenly, the woman grabbed the knife from Speed and started to stab him. The wounds went in deep, leaving cuts along his shoulders, stomach, and back. One cut in particular went all the way down his chest. The cut had hit bone. When she was done, Speed looked like he was more than just sad now. He seemed... empty. Dead. Reduced to a hollow shell of who he once was._

_The woman then threw the knife at X, stabbing him in the chest. Speed was the one who let out a pained scream._

_X was caught in a deep, black nothingness. He heard only a few moans. He saw only his parents and uncle dying, until—_

"NO!!! STOP, PLEASE!!!"

X awoke with a start. Sitting up, he wondered about his dream, his heart still pounding. Had he been the one who yelled? X's question didn't go unanswered for long.

"NO! PLEASE, DON'T!" It was Speed. He was still asleep, thrashing about, often clutching his backpack in panic, yelling in his sleep. Deep within the boy's subconscious, Speed was forced to watch his parents and uncle die horrible, painful, torturous deaths, again and again, leaving him as the survivor.

Of course, X didn't know that. He only knew that Speed was having a nightmare, and X couldn't stand to see his brother in such a fearful state, especially after what had happened the last time Speed had nightmares like this.

"Speed! Speed!" X yelled, shaking his brother, hoping to wake him.

Speed subconsciously grabbed X's shirt and began to sob into his chest, screaming as he did so.

"_Mom, Dad, NO!!!_" The way Speed screamed reminded X of a banshee.

"Speed! Wake up, Speed!" X yelled, louder this time. Speed finally woke up, screaming for his parents to run. He quickly realized that he was digging his fingers into his brother's back, and that his tears stained X's shirt.

"X-X... I-I... I'm sorry... I was just... having a nightmare... I guess... I... hope I didn't wake you..." Speed said self-consciously, not wanting to appear weak in the shadow of his older brother, trying to wipe his face of tears but failing, as more were streaming from his deep blue eyes every second.

"...Speed, you didn't wake me up from anything I wanted to see..." X said, remembering his own nightmare. Somehow, X didn't see his nightmare being as torturous as his brother's had been. Speed began sobbing again, his body trembling. Seeing Speed like this struck X. _What had been going on in Speed's nightmare?_ He thought to himself. X knew what it took to make Speed cry. It was mainly the same things that made X cry when he was Speed's age. It still took a lot to make Speed cry. X's brother was no wimp. X put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Speed... Don't worry... It was only a nightmare..." He murmured.

"No... No... That... that was real..." Speed whispered, pulling his knees close to his chest to support himself. "...That was real...so real..." Speed said, body still trembling. X couldn't help but see the connection between his brother in real life and his brother in his nightmare. He reached underneath his sleeping bag and pulled out their father's jacket.

"Here..." He said, draping the jacket over Speed's shoulders. Speed tensed up, preparing for the torturous memories his father's jacket would bring. Instead, he received a feeling of embrace. Hollowed embrace, yes —it simply wasn't the same as it had been a mere two days ago— but embrace nonetheless. He felt like his parents were still there, if nothing but shadows of the past. The jacket calmed Speed down quite a bit, although he was still crying.

"... X?" Speed murmured before he broke down with another sob.

"Yes?" X replied.

"... Would it be cruel of me... to say... to say 'I told you so'? ..." Speed said through his tears, filled with guilt. He had known that this would happen. It took X a minute to realize what his brother was talking about.

"...Speed... It's okay... I miss them, too..." X said, pulling his brother into a tight hug. Speed accepted, and began to cry into his brother's chest, Speed's hands grasping X's shirt, no longer caring about appearing weak. Speed simply wanted things to return to normal. "...I miss them, too..." X repeated softly. ".......Speed... you should rest. I'll tell you what: tomorrow, I promise, we'll get a real breakfast..." X said, trying to make up for everything that had happened with something that the boys hadn't had in days.

Speed nodded softly and curled up in his sleeping bag, clearly still crying. X didn't blame him. Speed had started out with nothing, had something, only to have it taken from him. Permanently.

The next morning, an IHOP wasn't too terribly hard to find. X and Speed parked their respective cars and walked inside.

"How many?" The hostess asked.

"Party of two." X said. Public places helped the teenager hide his emotions. He was used to keeping everything bottled up. Public places stressed Speed, however, and Speed didn't like the restaurant.

"Table or booth?"

"Booth."

"Follow me." The hostess led the two brothers to a booth in the back of the restaurant. It was not long before a waitress came to their table. She had dark skin and short, brown, curly hair.

"Hello, my name is Lucy and I'll be your server today. What can I get you to dri—" She stopped short. "Speed, X? What on earth are you two doing here?"

"Wait... _Lucy_?" X asked.

"What are you doing at an IHOP in Idaho?" Speed asked.

"...I work here, obviously. What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

".... That's an excellent question...." Speed mumbled.

"...Oh goodness, did something happen?" Lucy asked. Her question was answered by the morning news, which was blaring on the television set in the other room.

"_...And in other news, the home of the world-famous Racer family was found in shambles yesterday. Bullet holes lined the walls, as did blood. No bodies have been found as of late. Members of the Racer family are nowhere to be found..._" Immediately, the other people in the restaurant began to stare at the Racer brothers.

"....Oh my goodness.... Speed.... X.... I had no idea... I'm so sorry—" Lucy started.

"...Don't worry.... We'll be fine." X said grimly.

"...Where are you going?" Lucy asked. Speed answered.

"...Russia... It was..." Speed choked a little on the tears that were threatening to spill over at any moment. "...It was in... dad's will... that we should go to Sparky if ... if anything like this happened." Speed shook his head. "I've got to go." Speed said as he quickly ran to the bathroom. X sighed sadly.

"...Speed's really taking it hard... We both are..." X said, sighing again. "...We'll each have a glass of milk..." X said. Lucy nodded and walked away.

Speed was grateful that no one else was in the bathroom. What was wrong with him? He yelled the question in his mind. Why couldn't he hide his emotions, at least in front of Lucy? Why was he taking this so hard?

His parents and uncle had died three days ago.

Had it really been three days? It felt like only yesterday...

Speed wiped his face of the few tears that had made their way down his face, took a deep breath, and he slowly pushed the bathroom door open.

Immediately his mask of normality crumbled and he shut the door in shock.

Two men were standing in front of Lucy and X. They had guns.

Speed's heart raced in panic. What was he going to do? He was trapped in the bathroom. If he walked out, his brother and friend would die, and if he didn't, then they would die. Then he remembered**:** _the knife_! But how would he get to it without attracting attention? Spying a window, Speed clambered up the wall to get to it. Using his shoe, he smashed the glass and climbed out the window. Running to the Mach 6, he prayed that X and Lucy would be alright. He didn't hear any gunshots, so he assumed that they weren't dead. There was no way anyone could miss at such close range. Speed grabbed the knife and ran through the doors of the restaurant. X and one of the bald men were in a fist fight for the gun, but Lucy was unconscious on the floor. The other people in the restaurant were being terrorized by Lucy's attacker.

"Now tell me, where's your brother! I want to see you both dead!" The man said as he hit X in the stomach.

"Never!" X shouted as he punched the older man in the face, refusing to let these men kill his brother. They fought for a moment, but X quickly knocked the older man unconscious. However, Lucy's attacker was sneaking up behind X, gun raised.

"NO!" Speed shouted as he attacked the fair skinned man, quickly pinning him to the floor and knocking the gun from his hand. In the struggle, the man's sunglasses had fallen from his face. Now, looking directly into the man's eyes, Speed was filled with hate and anger.

"Not you again." Speed growled. "I thought I was done with you!"

"Well, as always, you were wrong." The man replied, calm yet threatening. "I heard your _sorry excuse for an old man_ died, by the way, and—"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!" Speed yelled.

"What, it's true, isn't it?" The man replied menacingly. "Every penny I've got says he just made the whole 'going into hiding' thing up, and brought you into the picture to make it seem justified."

That pushed Speed over the edge. X could only watch as his younger brother slid the knife into the man's shoulder. Lucy had woken up and was doing her best to prevent X from beating the pale man senseless while Speed was still in there wildly swinging a knife. Speed might accidentally hit X.

"This time, I'm the one with the knife." Speed growled, too low for X and Lucy to hear. "I hate you so much..." Speed said as he brought the knife down, aiming for the man's throat. At the last second, the knife missed the older man's neck by millimeters and went straight into the carpet. Speed's eyes narrowed in hate and anger. "...But I can't do it... I can't... take a life..." Speed almost cried that he wasn't able to kill the older man. Almost. This man most certainly did _not_ make Speed cry, or even get teary eyed, for that matter. Not anymore. "...Not even yours." Speed pulled the knife out from the carpet and stood up. The man weakly got up. Speed kicked him in the stomach, knocking the older man unconscious. Not dead, mind you, merely unconscious.

"We should go." Speed said angrily. "They'll wake up eventually. Lucy... maybe we should give you a lift to somewhere where you'll be safe. Are you okay?"

"... I'm fine, Speed. But what was that?!" Lucy replied.

"What was what?" Speed asked in confusion.

"Back there, when you almost _killed someone_! Where on _earth _did you get a_ knife_, anyway, Speed?!" X yelled in shock. The three started to run out of the restaurant.

"One: I got the knife from the kitchen. Two: Don't yell at me for taking it. We obviously needed it." Speed sighed. "... and three: I'll tell you the rest later." By now, the trio had reached the Mach 6 and the Shooting Star. Lucy and Speed entered the Mach 6 (with Speed in the driver's seat, of course), and X got in his Shooting Star. They wasted no time in driving out of the restaurant parking lot.

"...Speed... You almost killed someone. That's attempted murder. I've never seen you act that way, and—" Lucy started, but was cut off.

"It was justified self-defense. And trust me, he deserved it."

"_Speed, is it still justified self-defense when you've pinned him to the ground and you're stabbing him?_" X's voice said through the comp system.

"_**IF YOU KNEW WHO THAT MAN WAS, THEN YOU WOULDN'T BE YELLING AT ME FOR ATTACKING HIM!**_" Speed shouted angrily as he gripped the steering wheel so tightly he thought it might break. There was an awkward moment of silence.

"... You knew him?" Lucy asked, finally, refusing to meet Speed's gaze.

".... Yeah..." Speed said softly. "... But I don't want to talk about it...." There was another awkward moment of silence.

"... Where should we take you, Lucy?" Speed asked.

"...... Turn right at the next intersection. My house is the third one on the left."

"_..........Lucy, have you ever thought about the fact that your house might not be the safest place in the world?_" X asked through the comp system.

"We don't want to see you get hurt." Speed said to back up his brother's point. He and X both knew what could happen in your own home all too well. Lucy thought for a moment.

"....Turn left at the next intersection. In the afternoons I work at an auto shop, with lots of muscular men. They also have dangerous welding equipment, and they know how to use it as a weapon." She said.

".... That seems reasonable. But, Lucy?" Speed replied.

"Yes, Speed?"

"I want you to call me if anything —anything at all— happens. Please, tell me." He said as he turned left at the intersection.

"I will."

"_Promise me_." Speed said.

"... I promise." Lucy said. Speed drove down the road for five minutes before coming to a stop in front of Tim's Mechanical Service*.

"_Is this the place?_" X asked through the comp system.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks guys." Everyone got out of the two cars. "Bye X." Lucy said as they shared a quick hug. Lucy turned to Speed.

"... Are you sure you'll be safe here?" He asked quietly.

"... I'll be fine..."

"... What about your head? Are you feeling okay?" Speed asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Lucy said as she brought her hand up to the back of her head. She winced. "It just hurts to touch the lump." She added.

The two stood in silence for a few moments.

"...... Will I ever see you again?" Lucy asked.

"....... Hopefully...... We'll be back for school...." Speed sighed. ".... But there's going to be—" Speed's words formed a lump in his throat. ".... There's going to be a....... new headmaster now......." Speed was focusing less on his words and more on not crying in front of Lucy. "...... If the school closes down, I'll never forgive myself....." Thinking about what would happen without his parents and uncle was pushing Speed over the edge.

Lucy sensed this, and invited Speed into a hug. Taking deep breaths, he accepted, and together they remained, locked in embrace.

"...... I miss them so much......." Speed whispered to himself, not intending for Lucy to hear.

".......... It won't be the same without them.... But you shouldn't blame yourself...." Lucy said as they pulled themselves away from each other.

".....................Goodbye.............." Speed said.

"...................Goodbye............" Lucy said. She walked into the auto shop. X approached his brother.

"... Let's go... We need to keep moving..." He said.

And after all that neither Speed nor X ate breakfast that day.

Speed and X had driven all day. They made it to a small town on the edge of the Idaho-Canadian border, but it was X who suggested that they sleep in a motel room that night.

"... Why?" Speed asked. "We didn't run into problems last night, and we'll only wind up spending more money. Why don't we just hop on a plane here?"

"... Because we need to talk, a motel room provides better security then a tent, we both need showers, and an airplane is too expensive from here. We need to get closer to Russia before taking a plane." X said. He wasn't even sure that they _would _be taking a plane. For all he knew, they could be taking a cargo ship to Russia. He didn't tell Speed this, though, as he didn't want to worry his brother.

"... Fine....."

And so, making sure to lock their cars and hide their belongings, the two brothers walked into an old motel that was near bankruptcy. X signed them in, and soon they were in a musty old motel room with the door locked and the curtains drawn. The room had peeling, yellowed wallpaper, a twin sized bed, and a pullout couch. After X exited the small shower, Speed rushed in, eager to wash away the day's events with the relaxing warm water. In the rush, Speed didn't realize that he had left his clothes on the bed. He would have to change in front of X.

And especially after today, he would be wondering where the scars had come from.

It wasn't something that Speed liked to talk about. He hadn't told anyone. The reason that he wore long sleeves all the time was so he could cover them up.

But when Speed got back into the main room, X was gone. He had left a note taped to the door of the bathroom. It read: _Went to car for food._ Speed breathed a sigh of relief. X wouldn't find out. Not tonight. He had almost finished dressing when X walked in carrying a bag of jerky and a first aid kit. Speed cringed; his back was facing X, and although Speed knew that X wasn't looking at one of the worse scars, the scar that he was looking at was still pretty bad. X gasped.

"... Speed... where on earth did you get a scar like that?"

"... Car accident..." Speed lied without turning around. It was what he had told Connor, and X was a lot easier to deceive than he was.

"... When? You're too great of a driver to get in a crash this.... bad..." X said as he took a step closer.

".... Years before I could even drive..." Speed replied, still not facing his brother.

"........ Turn around, look me in the eye, and tell me that it was a car crash." X said after a good thirty seconds.

"W-what?" Speed stuttered, turning his head but not his body.

"You heard me." X said, crossing his arms. _When did he get so good at seeing through lies?_ Speed thought to himself. He turned to face X, and looked him in the eye, only to find that he couldn't lie to his brother. Not after everything that had happened. Not while looking him in the eye. X's gaze fell to the long scar on Speed's chest, surrounded by smaller scars and burn marks.

"..... I can't tell you that it was a car crash......." Speed said. A lump formed in the young man's throat. ".... What I can tell you..... is that it had something to do with......" Speed still wouldn't meet his brother's gaze. "......... With the guy I almost killed today...." Speed said in a much softer voice. He couldn't believe that after all these years, he was finally telling someone. Why now? Why after everything that had happened? Was it guilt that he never told his parents?

"Sit down." X said. The two brothers sat down on the pullout couch, and Speed put on his shirt. "... What's his name?" X asked.

"...... Edward Walters......"

"How did you meet him?" X asked.

"....... He....... fostered me for a while......." Speed said softly, not wanting to admit anything. X's eyes widened.

"..........Speed........... Please........... Please don't tell me that he..........." X's voice cracked at the thought. "............. Did he.............. abuse you?" X asked in a whisper. Speed looked away from his brother as he nodded faintly.

"......... You're the first person I ever told........" Speed said. "Congratulations." He added sarcastically.

"......... If you never told anyone.......... how did you get out of that situation?" X asked.

"...........I convinced him that I wasn't worth the welfare checks............... I convinced him to just..... leave...." Speed was breathing raggedly now. "........ It wasn't easy....... and it hurt when he hit me......... when he stabbed me.................. but eventually I got him to leave......... I don't know how......... I said that I had been mugged when I got back to the orphanage..........."

"How old were you?" X wanted.... no, X _had _to know.

"....................... I was six when I got there.............. I was seven when I left.............." Speed said. "............And today, when I saw him at IHOP, about to attack you............... I knew what he could.......... what he _would_ do................. I couldn't let that happen............. I wanted to kill him...... I really did...... But as much as I hate him.............. I couldn't do it......... Not even after all the things he did.........."

".... What exactly did he do?" X asked. Speed fell silent. "..... Speed..... you don't have to say anything that you don't fell comfortable saying."

".................The night..... before he left..... he came home drunk......... he................ tried to kill me..................... That's where I got the scar on my chest..... The knife cut into the bone..... I almost bled to death.........." Speed said softly, knowing that the eight inch long scar was one the worst one. Even after all these years, it still throbbed whenever he was stressed, depressed, or angry.

Needless to say, it had been throbbing since Speed and X had found out that their parents and uncle were dead.

"...... What about the scars on your back?" X asked. Speed sighed. He had hoped that his previous answer would be enough to satisfy X. It hadn't been.

"............. He threw............. a beer bottle at me........... It hadn't been empty.............. The alcohol burned for hours.......... That's why I try not to drink a lot.............." Speed said.

"Speed..... I'm sorry...." X said as he put an arm around his brother's shoulder. "....I'm sorry that had to happen to you......" X then made a secret vow to never drink in front of his brother again.

After that, the two brothers drifted to sleep. Speed got the twin sized bed while X slept on the pullout couch. Speed fell asleep, but X dozed in and out, his mind occupied by Speed's past. Speed had been abused when he was a kid. Only six years old! No one deserved that, especially not his brother. But seeing Speed try to kill someone, even someone that terrible, made X feel sick. His brother had gone through so much, and X had always thought that Speed had turned out alright. Today, that thought resided in a shadow of doubt. What else was Speed keeping from everyone?

X tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep.

Speed was having better luck. He had fallen into fitful sleep out of exhaustion. The day had been long, and Speed wanted nothing more than to escape, if only for a little while. However, the painful memories that Edward Walters had brought were omnipresent in Speed's mind that night. He tossed and turned in his sleep. The throbbing in his chest didn't subside. It actually intensified.

Speed groaned in pain in his sleep.

"...... Speed?" X asked, half asleep himself. Speed's eyes shot open as he groaned again, clutching his chest. Speed was feeling weak and lightheaded, his scar in insurmountable pain. It took everything he had not to scream. He brought his hand to his chest, and got out of bed, feeling blood between his fingers. He took two steps before falling over. "SPEED!" X yelled as he leaped from the pullout couch and rushed to his brother's side.

X carried his bleeding brother to the pullout couch, and grabbed the first aid kit that he had brought in. Taking off Speed's shirt, he saw blood running down Speed's scar.

"... S-Speed? Are you alright?" X asked worriedly as he cleaned blood from the wound. "...W-what happened?" X calmed a bit as he soaked up some of the blood with some tissues. The cut wasn't that bad, especially when compared to the scar that it was on top of. The blood pressure along the scar must have gotten so great that when Speed had been tossing about in the bed, the scar just.... started bleeding in a few places.

"..... I'm fine..." Speed said weakly, his breathing ragged. "... I've had worse... The cuts aren't that deep..." Speed added.

"... This may sting a little..." X said as he cleaned out the wound with Hydrogen Peroxide. Speed inhaled sharply through his teeth as the cleansing liquid entered the wound. It foamed a bit, cleaning out any harmful bacteria from the wound. "... Almost done..." X said to comfort his hurting brother. He bandaged the wound carefully. "... Are you sure you're alright?" X asked.

".... I'm fine, X..." Speed said as he yawned, curling up in a ball on his side, facing away from X. "...I'm just... tired...." Speed said as he fell asleep once again. X pulled the blanket over Speed. Looking at his broken, bleeding, scarred brother, X's heart lurched. A thought snuck its way into his mind. He remembered what his mother would do if X ever got hurt, or was sick, when he was younger.

Maybe just for tonight.

X lifted the other end of the blanket and crawled into the bed with Speed. By the time he was under the blanket, he was already half asleep.

"..... Goodnight, Speed......." X murmured. Speed's eyes shot open for a brief moment before growing heavy again.

Speed couldn't remember the last time he had said goodnight to someone, but he knew that families did that a lot.

Normal families. Families that have a nice two-story house and a white picket fence. Families that had a hard working dad and a busy, stay-at-home mom. Families that had two kids that were perfect little angles. The typical picture. No... not the typical picture.

Nothing was typical about that anymore.

To have a family like that was more valuable than gold.

It wasn't the typical picture. It was the _ideal _picture.

".................Goodnight, X................" Speed murmured dejectedly.

**Author's Note:**** Ah, family bonding time. It's such a beautiful thing. Those creepy monsters who twist and/or warp it into something amorous (a.k.a. slash or incest) are... well... creepy monsters! Don't the words "Family" and "Friendship" mean **_**ANYTHING **_**anymore? Does it **_**always**_** have to come to romance?**

**I find it **_**extremely**_** ironic that in ****Worst Fear****, Speed is reassured that his family isn't going to die anytime soon, and here I am, writing a story where Speed's parents and uncle are dead. I'm also frustrated that at the end of ****Worst Fear****, I put **_**'I never had the dream again'**_** so I can't just make a new version of Speed's recurring nightmare that **_**almost**_** made him crash into a tree and put it in here! Looking back, I don't quite understand why I wrote it like that. I guess that back then I still had a problem with physically harming Speed... and now Speed's been physically harmed (or at least will be) in every one of my T-rated stories (and in ****Brotherhood****, although Speed was attacked **_**prior**_** to that chapter, and the attack was actually in an episode, so I don't think that it would count). And, looking back, I realize what a terrible writer I was back then compared to now. I should do a rewrite of ****Worst Fear****. The entire story is bugging me. Then again, all my stories have flaws in them that bug me. For example: In this story, the thing that I can't get over is how I made a cucumber look like it had been murdered. A cucumber! It could've at least been a steak, or meat of some kind. But **_**no, **_**I had to have the thing that looked like a murder weapon sticking out of a **_**cucumber**_**!!!**

**Oh, and the IHOP fight thing was for you, ****AmandaSimmons95****. Actually, I had been planning it all along (that was the whole reason Speed grabbed the knife in the first place!) since I generally tend to explain and/or connect everything in a story to something. I guess that (like me) you have an astounding ability to predict what will happen next in a story and I wanted to give you props for that. Guess I need to step it up a little, though. I kinda want this story to keep the readers guessing, or have some plot twists in it or something cool like that... That's how I judge how good a good book is, which is why ****Snakehead**** is my favorite out of all the ****Alex Rider**** books. The only thing I don't like about it is that I imagined Ash looking like Speed Sr., so when [**_**SPOILER ALERT**_**] I found out that Ash was evil, I threw the book at the wall. Then I screamed, "No, Alex! I didn't mean it like that!" ('cause I threw Twilight at the wall, too) and rushed to the book's aid.**

***Tim's Mechanical Service was based on Tim's Marine Service (this is an actual place). At a glance, the sign looks like it says **_**Time Machine Service**_** instead of **_**Tim's Marine Service**_**. Needless to say, I've been watching **_**way**_** too many time travel movies....**

**Oh wow, this chapter was **_**LONG**_**. 5,262 words... 4,545 of which are part of the actual story. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**** Urgh. My mom read some of my fanfictions. It's not a bad thing; she thinks I'm really good. It's just that she used to write plays for our church and now she wants me to rewrite them in book form. And then of course I went book shopping. And I did the impossible: I found a romance story that I actually **_**like**_**! Normally I don't **_**tolerate**_** romance stories, let alone like them! Ninjas+ Romance= Absolute Perfect Manga!**

**X's dream this time is rather strange... It's almost out of character...**

**I based X off of me in this chapter. Bad day= whatever you do, **_**don't **_**tell the younger sibling you're having a bad day.**

_**The Low Price of Fame... **_**ah, memories. Too bad I actually had to apply the laws of physics (somewhat) to the race in Lightning Alley.**

**And **_**The Dance **_**was a good episode, too. Aside from the tornado bit. Speed should have been ejected from the track or gotten out of that tornado sooner! Trust me, I live in Texas (and in Tornado Alley). I know tornado safety (I've had it drilled into my head ever since I can remember), and frankly, I can't believe that a **_**school **_**would have something so dangerous in their virtual tracks for the students to experience! Never, **_**ever, **__**EVER**_** drive a car in a tornado.**

**Also, a little music lesson for you: **_**piano **_**means soft and **_**forte **_**means loud.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Speed Racer: The Next Generation. Oh, and I've never been to Canada, but I did learn quite a few interesting things about it in World Geography (the only part of school that actually **_**helps**_** me write fanfics. Besides Theatre Arts, that is)... but if I seriously messed up something about Canada here, please let me know, and I'll try to fix it. The key word here is '**_**try' **_**because I'm really bad about getting rewrites done. I still haven't fixed chapter 8 of Hope and Suffering, and it's been weeks... and if you've ever read Worst Fear... I **_**want **_**to rewrite that, but I just don't feel like it... **_

Speed loved the rain. He loved the thunder. The soft _plink _of the raindrops against the motel's window were soothing, the ferocious roar of the thunder acted as a shield, creating a sense of protection. Together, _piano_ and _forte _made the perfect symphony.

It was the lightning that he could do without.

Ever since Speed had raced in Lightning Alley, he had hated lightning and what it could do.

Of course, he had always _known _how dangerous lightning was, but until _that race_, he was never afraid to _drive_ in it.

Speed had actually liked it. To him, lightning had been a mere light show, a spectacular addition to the storm's symphony. But when the Mach 6 had been struck by lightning, a horrible pain coursed through Speed's body. He had been unable to move, and he had been lucky to survive. After the race, he had difficulty moving his hands. They had been burned lightly (another stroke of luck**:** on top of merely _surviving _being struck by lightning, Speed _should _have had more severe burns, and could have even lost the use of his hands... But the boy was lucky), and by the end of the day, he couldn't move his hands at all. The effect had been temporary, and by the next morning Speed could move his hands again. Even the burns had started to heal. He was still nervous about driving in a lightning storm, though.

"No." Speed stated, staring out the window of the motel room. "Not while I have a choice." He and X were sitting on the pullout couch. Rolls of thunder shook the room.

The rain filled the silence.

"If we don't keep moving..." X started.

"I know..." Speed said. "...But here... if things get too dangerous, we won't be ejected from the virtual track..." _Not that the track ever did that with me when I really needed it,_ Speed thought grimly. Whenever he needed to escape the virtual track, the only way out was the exit portal, which was sometimes miles away. Speed thought back to his race with Elsa.

"_Congratulations, Speed. Not only did you win the race, but you're also the first student to escape a tornado with all four limbs in tact!" Spritle had said. He meant well. But the track should have ejected Speed the moment he was in the tornado. Every kid that had been injured by the tornado was injured by the tornado forcing them __**out **__of the virtual track, not while they were still__** in**__ it._

"And here, an evil billionaire can't hack into the virtual programming and mess with the lightning." X said, jolting Speed from his thoughts.

"I suppose you're right. But I'm still not sure..." Speed said.

"Speed, yesterday you stabbed a guy who tried to kill you when you were seven. You survived in a burning car unscathed. You hold the world land speed record. You've been kidnapped, almost suffocated, caught in a tornado, and forcibly sucked inside the virtual track. And you're telling me that you're scared of a little _lightning_?" X said. Speed sighed.

"Fine." Speed grumbled. "I'll do it, but I won't like it."

"Good." X said, almost smiling. "Now let's get out of here, I'm freezing." Beads of sweat were beginning to form on X's forehead, however.

They exited the motel and started their cars, and began to drive. The small town was easy to navigate, and they crossed the Canadian border with no problems. Once the brothers were in Canada, the rain stopped, and the two brothers stopped to eat breakfast near an old warehouse. Speed was sitting back against the side of the warehouse, and X was leaning against the Shooting Star. X was still freezing. The events of the previous day replayed themselves in X's mind. His head felt foggy.

"...Hey... Are you okay?" Speed asked. "You look pale."

"...I-I'm f-fine..." X said through chattering teeth. He was shivering, even though he felt too warm. He started coughing violently. He could barely breathe, and when he finally was able to gasp for air, his throat was sore.

"Are you sure?" Speed asked, growing more panicked. Could X really be sick?

"Y-Yeah I'm—" X was cut short as his stomach lurched. He ran as fast as he could to hunch over behind the Shooting Star, and then he vomited. The bile burned in his throat afterwards. X groaned. On top of everything else, he didn't need _this_. If not X, then who would take care of Speed? X moaned softly.

"X!" Speed shouted in concern. X wiped his mouth free of vomit but remained hunched over, shuddering from cold and sweating from heat. Speed ran to his brother's side and helped him stand up.

"You're in no condition to drive. I-I'm taking you to a doctor!" Speed said worriedly. He helped X into the passenger seat of the Mach 6, and then got into the driver's seat and floored the gas pedal. X sunk down low in the passenger seat and rested his head against the window. Speed put a hand to X's forehead, and quickly pulled away. "Oh man... You're burning up..." Speed said.

Canada was strange. Every sign was written in either English or French, sometimes both. Nevertheless the country was easy to navigate. After ten minutes, Speed found a doctor's office. He rushed in, pulling X along by the arm. X was staggering, and his headache skyrocketed.

"I don't need to see a doctor." X stated. He just couldn't swallow his pride and let Speed know that he needed help. Speed may have been through more than X could imagine, but the brothers' destination was in _Russia_. Speed would have to trek Canada (the second largest country in the world), Alaska (the largest state in the US), and get across the Bering Strait. Not to mention that Wilson Sparkolemew's lab was in the _interior_ of Russia. How would Speed get there alone?

"You're burning up and you just puked. You're seeing a doctor." Speed snapped. He walked inside and straight to the female receptionist. Her shoulder length blonde hair was clearly dyed, and her glasses were too small for her face. Her nose came to an abrupt point, and her bright pink lipstick stood out against her dull, pale, skin.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked in a clipped, accented voice.

"No, but my brother is sick and he _needs _to see a doctor. _Please_." Speed pleaded.

"Don't worry. We accept walk-ins here. Now, what is your brother's name?" She asked.

"X Racer." Speed said.

"Okay. You're going to have to wait a few minutes." She said. Speed nodded and he and X took their seats. X's eyelids were growing heavy, but soon the doctor was ready to see him. The doctor was a tall, pale man with thinning grey hair. His glasses were too big for his face, and he looked stressed. He introduced himself as Dr. Mason and took X's temperature first.

"One hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit." Dr. Mason said. "This isn't good..."

"He started coughing. Then he threw up." Speed said. He knew that X would never open up and tell the doctor what was wrong. The doctor ran a few more tests, and then left the room. He came back with some pills.

"He has a cold on top of a mild stomach bug. He should be fine in a few days." Dr. Mason said. He handed the pills to Speed. "Give him these once every twelve hours. They'll make him drowsy, but they should stop the cold symptoms. The stomach bug is bacterial, and these should kill that, too."

"Thank you, Doctor." Speed said.

"You're welcome. You may go now." Dr. Mason said. Speed and X walked out to the reception area.

"Now, as for how you're going to pay..." The receptionist started. X spoke up.

"Believe it or not, we have money." X said hoarsely, handing her the MasterCard. She took it, rang them up, and returned the MasterCard. Speed and X left the doctor's office and got in the Mach 6. Speed drove back to the warehouse and stopped the car, reading the back of the bottle of pills.

"...Looks like we won't be traveling for a few days..." Speed said.

"...Huh? Why?" X asked sleepily.

"It says: _Do not drive or operate machinery while on this medication._" Speed sighed. "You're in no condition to camp out. Do we have enough money for another motel room?" He asked. X shook his head.

"After the doctor's bill, we just don't have enough money for anything like that. We've got to save money for the actual _getting to Russia _part." X said. His voice was soft and hoarse. Speed eyed the warehouse. _Maybe... _he thought to himself. _Maybe I can pick the lock... _Speed got out of the car and examined the padlock. He forgot about picking the lock. The Mach 6's laser saws would have to perform this job. Speed got back in the car and turned on the Chameleon System, so as to not attract attention. He then turned on the laser saws and delicately sliced the lock in half. Speed got out of the car and opened the warehouse door. Leaving the cars outside and invisible, Speed helped X into the warehouse.

Inside, it was large, dry, warm, and free. The warehouse had probably belonged to an old supercenter that had closed down years before. The items in the warehouse were long since forgotten. There were dusty old Christmas decorations, rusted cooking supplies, patio furniture that had been half-eaten by termites, even mattresses! The mattresses were in poor condition, but they were mattresses nonetheless. They were located between the Christmas decorations and the cooking supplies. X lay down on one of the mattresses after taking one of the pills. Speed saw a microwave. Maybe he could make X some soup... Speed sighed. He didn't have any soup to make, and even if he did, there were no outlets to plug the microwave into.

X started to fall asleep. Speed grabbed a warm blanket from another sector of the warehouse and placed it on X. Then he sat down, waiting for X to wake up again, wondering how long they would have to stay here.

X fell into a strange dream. He was again caught in nothingness. However, this time he heard the voices of his parents and uncle speaking to him.

_..._

_X, we're so glad you're safe._

His father.

_We were so worried about you._

His uncle.

"_W-what do you mean 'worried about us'? W-we... we thought you were... dead..." X said, shocked._

_Oh, my poor baby! You're sick._

His mother.

"_Don't worry about that! Worry about Speed! He... He's going to have to pay for it... just like he always does..." X retorted._

_...X..._

His father.

"_You wanted a gasless engine... Speed almost paid for that with his __**life**__! I wanted to date Annalise... to trust her father... Speed got hurt because of me... I was too blind to see that __**they **__were the ones behind everything! Now I'm sick... and Speed's going to have to pay for it!" X yelled._

_...Oh, X..._

Both of his parents.

"_You don't get it, do you? YOU left Speed at an orphanage! He was fostered by an evil, drunken man who __**abused **__Speed for a year! And for what: a stupid __**engine**__? I was too blind to see that Zile and Annalise were trying to hurt Speed, and he almost __**died **__because of my ignorance! Now I'm sick... How is Speed supposed to get to Russia? There's no way he can do it without help!" X yelled angrily._

_X, you mustn't blame yourself._

His uncle.

"_How can I __**not**__? __**I **__was the one who suggested we go to that __**stupid **__party! __**I'm **__the one who's supposed to be looking out for Speed! __**I'm **__the one who can't get us to Russia!" X yelled as he broke down, screaming and crying, overcome by survivor's guilt._

"_Why even send us to Russia? Why so far away?" X asked softly through his tears._

_I don't trust very many people to raise my children. And after something like this... you deserve to know what happened._

His father.

"_But... __**why**__? Why do this? Why did you have to...?" X choked on his tears. "Why did you have to... to __**die**__?"_

_To protect you._

X awoke with a start. Tears were streaming silently down his face, mingling with sweat. He sat up, removing the blanket from his upper body. He immediately became too cold, and quickly wrapped the blanket around his shoulders once again. He wondered what his dream meant. Of course he cared about his brother, but was yelling at his parents necessary? They were just looking out for him, something X didn't think he got too often. X had been hurt, too. Why had he worried about Speed so much? Of course X worried about Speed, but not to _that_ extent. Couldn't he have worried about _himself_ for once? It wasn't _just_ Speed feeling the immense grief, the horrible pain, the anguished feeling of insurmountable loss...

Loss.

He had lost his parents.

They had been murdered.

X drew his knees up close to his chest. His upper body (especially his stomach and lungs) screamed in protest, but X didn't care. Large tears were streaming violently down X's face, and his body shook with sobs. Every now and then he would start coughing, his lungs unable to handle being sick and crying at the same time. After a few minutes, X shook his head.

He didn't cry. He was too proud. He just... used only the emotions that he needed at the moment and put everything else away. That way, no one would think he was weak, or un-cool, or cowardly.

X no longer cared about that.

He no longer cared about what anyone else thought.

How could he, when he had so much else to deal with? How could he, when there were more important things? How could he, when they didn't even _know_ him?

And so he continued to cry.

His parents were dead. They were gone. He would never see them again. And now he had Speed to take care of.

Speed.

X's heart pounded inside his chest. He hadn't seen Speed since he woke up. How long had he been asleep? What if something terrible had happened?

It's not paranoia if someone really _is _trying to kill you.

Something small and white caught X's eye. He reached down and picked it up. It was a note. He was about to read it, but he was interrupted by the sound of feet against the concrete floor of the warehouse. Immediately, X dove for cover, making much more noise than he would have liked.

"X! Are you awake?" Speed's voice echoed through the warehouse.

X sat still, silent as a mouse. He started reading the note.

_X, I went to the grocery store to get you some soup. With you being sick, I don't think that beef jerky and potato chips are very good for you._

_-Speed._

"...Speed?" X dared to ask.

"X!" Speed exclaimed as he peered over the pile of mattresses into his brother's hiding place. He was carrying a can of soup and two water bottles. "How long have you been awake?"

"...A few minutes..." X said.

"...I'm... sorry if I worried you..." Speed said, guiltily. "I should have waited until you woke up..."

"No, Speed... It's fine. As long as you didn't get hurt..." X said.

"...Still..." Speed started. There was a moment of silence. The Racer brothers knew what could have happened while Speed was out. The death of their parents had taught them that they could never be too careful. Speed sighed. "Want some soup?" He asked, holding out the can of soup that he had made outside. Making soup in a can over an open fire wasn't easy, but Speed had figured it out. X accepted, and drank the soup straight from the can.

"Thanks..." X said.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Speed asked after a few minutes. He took a sip of his water.

"I'm feeling better." X said, suppressing a yawn.

"Oh. That's good." Speed said. The silence was interrupted by yet another set of feet against the concrete.

"Speed?" X whispered. "Did you bring anyone back with you?" Speed shook his head.

A deep, malevolent laughter filled the warehouse.

"Oh, Speed." The voice dripped with evil. Speed recognized the voice immediately. "It's been so long." The voice hissed. Speed's face hardened.

"You." Speed said coldly. "What are you doing here? Why are you following us?" Speed's face twisted with anger. X caught on to what was happening.

Edward Walters was tracking them down. And he had succeeded.

"Well," Walters said in a falsely sympathetic voice. "I just thought you might like some pictures of your folks is all." He stepped out into the light. X stood up from where he sat on the mattress and placed himself between Walters and Speed. _This man will __**never**__ hurt my brother again,_ X thought, _not while I'm still breathing._ Walters took out a leather bound book, seemingly out of nowhere, and tossed it to Speed and X. Neither dared to pick it up. "Don't worry. I'll be _happy_ to reunite you." He grinned evilly as his plan fell into action. While Speed and X had been at the doctor's office, he had planted the warehouse with small explosives. They weren't big enough to topple the building, but they were enough to make sure Speed and X didn't make it out alive.

Sound and fire filled the warehouse. Within seconds, Edward Walters had already escaped. X and Speed were trapped by walls of flame. Smoke quickly covered the ceiling.

"Speed are you alright?" X screamed over the roar of the fire. He started coughing.

"I'm fine, what about you?" Speed said. He started to cough as well.

"I'm fine." X quickly looked around, searching for a way out. "There!" He shouted, pointing down a nearly-clear path through the fire. It lead to an emergency exit.

"Let's go!" Speed shouted. They ran as fast as they could. They knew they would make it. They could see the door. Suddenly, about halfway down the path, the flames had reached the roof: a flaming rafter came crashing down, separating the two brothers with more walls of flame.

"X!"

"Speed!" They could barely see each other. X had been lucky: he had been in front, despite his health, and was closer to the door. Speed, however, was trapped in a maze of flames.

"X, go on ahead! I'll find another way out!" Speed shouted over the roar of the fire.

"No, Speed! I'm not leaving here without you!" X yelled. The flames were so intense, Speed could barely hear him.

"X, GO!" Speed shouted as loud as he could. More rafters began to fall. Speed barely dodged them. "GO!" He repeated. X hesitated, but decided to make a run for it.

"I'll come back with help!" X shouted. He couldn't believe that he was leaving his brother like this, but he had no choice.

Speed couldn't believe that they had been separated like that. He was going to die, and X was going to live. That was that. Speed's eyes quickly surveyed the area, one last time. Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire. It surrounded him. He was going to die alone. _With my luck_, Speed thought, _it won't be quick, either._ Speed sat near the mattresses again, thinking. There was no way he could survive going through the fire. There was no clear path. He couldn't climb out. Speed curled up in a fetal position. He didn't want to die alone.

X ran as fast as he could. He had to get out of there and help Speed. Suddenly, another bomb went off. The shockwave sent X flying out of the warehouse, crashing to the ground. His elbows, knees and stomach had all been scraped. Dirt and pebbles were stuck in the cuts. The warehouse was now a one hundred foot wall of flames.

"Speed! SPEED!" X shouted. The flames reflected in X's now watery eyes. He could barely move. He started coughing. Everything went black.

The man was on vacation. His dark green car stood out amongst the other cars on the street. Something caught his eye. It was smoke. A warehouse was on fire. The man stopped his car and dialed emergency services. His heart raced as he saw a young man, unconscious and bleeding, outside: X Racer.

Damian Russ ran from his car, his heart racing at the thought that he might be too late.


End file.
